A Bittersweet Apple
by MegaTJ
Summary: When life on the farm gets harder, Applejack hires a new farmhoof. After a while, the barrage of accusations of him being her coltfriend die down, but she thinks she might actually be developing feelings for him. Can she stop denying them and find that their can be something that can make her happier than farm work and rodeos?
1. The New Farmhoof

The New Farmhoof

Applejack once again looked back to the entrance path to Sweet Apple Acres. Still no sign of him. She gave the nearest tree a hefty kick, sending apples tumbling into her buckets. Now that they were full she lowered them to the ground and picked up a pair of empty ones. Making sure they weren't going to slip off, she bucked the tree once again. Fewer apples fell, letting the mare know that it was time to move deeper into the orchard. She was hesitant about losing sight of the path.

"Where in tarnation is that colt?" she asked the tree. When it didn't answer she took one last look at the path. She hitched up to the small wagon that held a large number of the half-barrel buckets, and, with a troubled sigh, turned away to head toward the east orchard, where the hills would block any view she would have of the path and even the house.

"Ah just don' get whah we need more help 'round here…" She kept arguing with Big Macintosh and Granny Smith for weeks until finally the older ponies overruled her objections, even when she tried reasoning that her friends could help when they needed it.

They wouldn't hear it, and told her that it wasn't fair to put their responsibilities on those who already had things to do. That's why, Granny Smith had said, they needed to hire somepony that needed the bits and had nothing else to do in their spare time. When A.J. tried bringing up the question of how they were going to afford it, Big Macintosh reminded her of how well the farm was doing nowadays. She had been thoroughly defeated. So she could do nothing to stop them from hiring a new farmhoof from Trotledge, which she had happen to know was big on ranching. She didn't know what bothered her more: the fact that there was the possibility of the new pony messing everything up, or that he would be so good that she would have to compete on her own farm. Everypony kept telling her not to worry and that it wouldn't be that way. Applejack just couldn't bring herself to believe them.

"Well, now there's nothin' Ah can do 'bout it", she sighed. She had set herself up for another bucking, and gave the tree a healthy helping of her hooves. The apples rained down, filling her buckets again.

Celestia's sun was beginning to give the new day in Ponyville a warm hug when Thorn Hopper walked over the hill to Sweet Apple Acres. He complimented it with another awe-struck gaze. It looked like it grew since he had seen it just two days before! His amazement didn't last long; he didn't want to be late for his new job! Granny Smith had told him to look for her granddaughter Applejack when he had passed his interview, so he knew he was looking for an orange mare about his height. He hadn't met Applejack during his interview, and wondered what she was like.

"Ah hope Ah can fahnd her first." He looked around the yard, only to find that no pony was around. He was sure Granny Smith told him that Applejack was usually doing morning chores near the house at this time of day. He walked up to the farmhouse and gave the door a generous few knocks. Thorn Hopper waited about two minutes before knocking again. "Where is ever'pony? They ain't hidin' are they?"

The green stallion scratched his head. "Welp, better start on trackin'er." Thorny left the house's porch and looked around for a place to start tracking. He looked until his gaze settled on a tree surrounded by buckets that were full of apples. That looked like a good place to start. He inspected the buckets, but didn't see anything that would lead him to Applejack or any of the other farm ponies. Then he noticed that there was a spot in the grass where the night's dew hadn't fallen. He looked closer and saw the thin tracks of a buggy or wagon lead away from the spot and into the orchard. Since he was on top of a hill, he could easily see where the wagon and, to his surprise, a trail of hoofprints led. He followed them until they disappeared behind a few trees. He was just about to take a step toward them when he saw a tree shake violently in the distance, causing a few birds to fly from it.

"Woowee!" Applejack whooped. She was on a roll today. That was tree number fourteen in about an hour. At this rate she would be done much earlier than usual. Sure her hooves were sore, but it was completely worth it. If she could finish the east field before lunchtime, then the west field wouldn't be any problem, especially since—

"Howdy!"

Applejack nearly jumped out of her skin. She whirled around to see a green stallion. He was smiling warmly. This must be the new farmhoof. A surge of nervousness hit her. "Howdy", she said half-shakily.

He offered her his hoof. "Name's Thorn Hopper, but y'all can call m' Thorny! Ah'm the new help 'round here!"

She shook his hoof. "Applejack, mah friends sometahms call me AJ though", she replied.

"Nahce t' meet y'all, Applejack!"

"Same here, Thorny", she said less enthusiastically. For some reason, a lot of her nervousness had gone away, leaving just a little uncertainty behind.

The moment threatened to get awkward, so Thorny got straight to the point. "Ah'm here to help, so put me t' work."

"Um…okay." Applejack looked around. "Ah already did the other chores, so raht now there's nothin' but buckin' to do."

"Alrahty then."

"Y'all know how t' applebuck?"

Thorny shook his head.

Applejack positioned herself in front of an unbucked apple tree. "Jus' do what Ah do." She reared and gave the tree a strong kick. Thorny watched as the kick rippled upwards through the tree. It rattled the branches and shook the apples loose. They all fell into Applejack's buckets, give or take a few that missed and hit the ground.

"Now y'all give it a trah", instructed Applejack as she shed the buckets and picked up two more. She grabbed two more from her cart and a bucket harness for Thorny. "Here, put all that on, first."

Thorny hooked up with a little trouble. He was used to cart and plow harnesses, so this was a little new to him. "Uh, Applejack?"

Applejack almost burst into laughter when she saw that he had put a hoof in the wrong way and was now stuck. One of his hooves was tightly bound to his side, and now he couldn't move his head in any direction. He tried pulling it back out, but it only tightened around him more. She rolled her eyes and fought back the laughter again. Grabbing the back of the belt, she yanked it back over his head, pulling it off with relative ease. She turned it around and helped him get it back on correctly. "Lahk this." She pulled it tight, nearly keeping Thorny from breathing.

"Hey, careful, Ah need t' breathe!"

"Sorry, Thorny", Applejack apologized. She loosened the harness slightly. She picked up a bucket and hooked it to the harness. "The buckets jus' snap on."

Thorny snapped the second bucket to the vacant hook. He stood in front of the nearest tree. Before he gave applebucking a try, he asked Applejack, "'Bout how hard do Ah kick?"

Applejack wondered for a second. She had been doing it for so long that it was hard for her to measure. "Ah don't know…Ah guess jus' trah a medium lahk kick."

Thorny nodded and kicked his hooves from the ground. His hooves contacted so hard that apples rained down upon him whether or not they were ripe and ready. He shielded his head from the downpour. When the last apple fell, he said with an embarrassed smile, "Too hard?"

"Y'all think?" Applejack chuckled. "C'mon, help me get these up."

Together they loaded Thorny's buckets with the grounded apples. So many had fallen that he had to set his first set down and pick up a second, which they filled to about halfway. Applejack tapped another tree.

"Alraht", she said, "Trah again, but with a little less oomph."

Thorny's second attempt was more successful. More apples fell than when Applejack did it, but there was more control this time. He filled the buckets up the rest of the way.

"Y'all got the hang of it now", Applejack stated. "Now Ah jus' need help with the rest of the trees.

"How many trees do y'all usually do?"

"Till there ain't no more to do."

Thorny's jaw just about hit the grass. "And y'all used t' do it alone?"

Applejack felt a wave of pride bring her mouth into a smile. "Yessiree."

"Well, now with me around, y'all don't have to work so hard no more." Thorny bucked another tree.

"That's what Granny Smith an' Big Mac say", she replied, "But Ah really don't mahnd much."

Thorny didn't reply right off. He had just filled another set of buckets and was hooking up to two fresh ones. "Ah feel ya there. Back home Ah loved work. Almost more than Ah love eatin'. An' Ah love eatin'."

"Granny Smith told me y'all was a rancher." Applejack moved on to her next tree. As she peered around she noticed that it was getting pretty hot out.

"Best one in Trotledge", Thorny boasted.

"What did y'all usually do?" Applejack dropped her buckets to listen to him.

"Most of mah time was spent takin' care of the fields an' keepin' critters in their corrals", he replied, "Then it was just havin' fun with mah sisters an' friens."

"Y'all come a long way from home jus' fer a job", Applejack stated, becoming a little more interested in Thorny. "What y'all move fer?"

"Famly tradition!" he yelled. "Once the oldest chahld is old enough to move out, they and their brothers an' sisters move out too. I moved with mah sisters."

"Applebloom'll make friends with'em pretty soon."

"Who?" Thorny dropped his buckets and leaned against a tree.

"That's mah little sister", she explained. The breeze stopped, and all defenses from the heat gave way. "Say, let's head back up an' get to know each other."

Thorny gave her a smirk. "Tahred already?"

"Listen here partner", said Applejack with instant annoyance, "Ah can buck circles 'round you!"

"Hey, hey." Thorny held up his hooves, "Ah'm just pickin' Applejack."

"Ah know that", replied Applejack, "Jus' don't go gettin' a big head about you."

She dropped her harness. "C'mon, Ah'll show you 'round Ponyville so y'all won't get lost when you have t' do runnin'."

Thorny shed his harness and followed her up. He was silent. The last thing he wanted to do was make his new coworker mad on the first day. Thorny tried finding something to say, but was much better at contributing to a conversation than starting one. He thought about how fiery she was. It wasn't unusual for him to meet such feisty mare; there were a lot of those back home. Applejack was a little different, though. She was an instantly-tempered gal who didn't let anypony get ahead of her without a fight. He chuckled to himself. It was going to be so much fun to tease her. He knew he'd have to do it off work, and that he couldn't go too far with it.

"How many sister's do y'all got?"

"Ah moved out here with mah two sisters June Berry an' Apple Sprout." He moved into a slight gallop as the hill steepened.

"Apple Sprout", she laughed. "Keep'er a way from mah famly. We maht just adopt her!"

"Whah's that?"

"'Cause everypony in mah family is named after an apple or something close to apples", she explained.

"How much famly y'all got?"

"Well…"

_15 minutes later…_

Thorny's mouth hung loosely as Applejack finished naming off the Apple Family. They had absently walked past the house and were slowly trotting into Ponyville. The mare stopped after her hoof clopped on the deck of Ponyville's southern entrance bridge.

"Oh, would y'all look at that. Ah talked us raht into Ponyville." She turned back to Thorny. "Y'all had tahm t' look around yet?"

Thorny shook his head, "Barely had tahm t' eat."

She stepped aside. "Then let m' be the first t' welcome y'all t' Ponyville!"

Thorny smiled. Applejack was just his kind of pony.

**I have completely redone this story, so if you were reading before, I would erase all memory of what you have read. I won't be posting a legacy version of this story, so sorry for fans of the other version.  
**


	2. Ponyville and Shenanigans

Ponyville and Shenanigans

Thorny walked with Applejack back to the farm house. Little did he know, that she had no intention of stopping there. Instead, she was focused on getting to know him a little. A small tour of Ponyville was the best way to find that out. The list of things she wanted him to see ran on, but she knew that the first thing she wanted to do was introduce him to her friends. If he was going to be working on the farm, then they'd see him sooner or later.

"So, Thorny, how're y'all lahkin' Ponyville so far?"

"Ain't that different from Trotledge", he replied, "'Cept there's tons more fields there. Dusty too. Ah lahk all the grass 'round here."

"Y'all make any new friens?"

"Ain't had tahm too, movin' an' all that." He followed her without noticing they were leaving the farm. He was too busy trying to come up with his own questions for the mare. "Yer mah only frien' so far."

Applejack grinned. "Now who in tarnation said we were friens?"

Thorny blinked. "Ah thought—"

"Jus' pickin' with ya Thorny", she laughed.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

Applejack lost the conversation. She wasn't exactly sure what to say. If he was a mare, it would be a lot easier talking to him. She could challenge and tease him, but simple discussion was so much harder. Absolutely no pony knew, but Applejack never could talk to colts much outside of family. Luckily for her, Thorny knew how to talk to everypony.

"Where're y'all takin' me, Applejack?"

"We're goin' t' Stirrup Street, then just around and maybe t' meet a couple of mah friens."

"Whah? Y'all ain't showin' me off, are you?" Thorny grinned.

A blush crossed Applejack's nose. But instead of wanting to deck him for saying something like, she only laughed a little. "If Ah'm gonna show a colt off to mah friens, he's gotta be a little more handsome than y'all are."

Thorny laughed loudly. Applejack figured he was the kind you couldn't tease easily. He pulled ahead of her without realizing it. Applejack decided to get a look at him. From the angle she was looking, she noticed that his red bandana was neatly knotted in the back and that it was almost covered up by his hat, which he wore low on the back of his head, lower than she wore hers. She also noticed that his freckles only covered the bridge of his nose. She couldn't tell what color his eyes were. His Cutie Mark was a single ranching fence in the middle of a field.

She was so absorbed in him, that she almost passed their first stop up. "Okay, Thorny, this here is where we sell the apples durin' the week. Ah usually work the stand on Mondays an' Tuesdays, Big Mac works it Wednesdays, an' then Granny Smith on Thursdays. We don' sell on weekends."

"Can I pick up Tuesday? So we can all have jus' one day?"

"Ah'll talk it over with Granny Smith since it deals with money", Applejack replied, "But Ah don't got a problem with that."

"Maybe me an' you can do it then. So I won' have to wait so long."

Applejack liked the idea of not having to work very hard for two days. And Thorny would be good company to have. She remembered back to a few times when the boredom was almost ate her alive. With Thorny with her, she would have somepony to talk to. "Alraht it's settled. We'll sell apples together."

Thorny smiled, and followed Applejack to wherever it was they were going next. He really didn't care. Her company was enjoyable, she was a really good pony to be around. _And, _he thought, _She's mahty pretty…_ He blushed, but it didn't matter. He was sure she couldn't see it.

_Now whah is his face turnin' red? _Applejack wondered to herself. She shrugged. _Must be the heat. _On that thought, she thought it best to get inside somewhere, and the closest place was Ponyville's one and only Sugarcube Corner. She led him into the spacious inside, where immediately Pinkie Pie had zipped out to greet them.

"Hey, Applejack!" she turned to Thorny, "Hey, you're new here! I love making new friends! Wanna be my friend?"

Thorny took a step back. "Uh…"

"Great!" She jumped up and bounced around. "This calls for a party!"

"Party?" Thorny asked as Pinkie Pie bounced away.

"Pinkie Pie throws parties for ponies who move in t' Ponyville", Applejack explained.

"Is she always so rambunctious?"

"Yep, that's Pinkie Pie for ya."

Thorny quietly exhaled. There wasn't a single pony like Pinkie Pie in Trotledge. He looked around the bars and shelves in the bakery. "Say Applejack, mahnd if Ah bah y'all a slahce of cake?"

Applejack stared at him. "Whah?"

"That's what friens do where Ah come from", he lied.

Applejack was a little skeptical, but shrugged and nodded. She never turned down free food. "Sure thing, Thorny!"

She left for a table while Thorny left to go pick out the cake. He skipped breakfast this morning and now he knew he wouldn't be able to watch her eat without scaring ponies away with his stomach growling. "S'cuse me ma'am!" he called to another pink mare.

"How may I help you?" Cupcake asked brightly.

"Ah'd like t' bah a slahce of cherry cake an'…uh…" Thorny poured over the case, wondering just what kind of cake Applejack would like.

"She usually enjoys an apple spice cake, dear", Mrs. Cake whispered.

Thorny smiled. "Thanks, Ah'll take one o'those."

She wrapped the slices up and hoofed them over the counter. "No need to pay dear, I commend a young stallion who acts on a crush."

Thorny blushed three shades of red and chuckled nervously. He couldn't deny that he was, nor could he admit it. He only liked Applejack a little…so far. He wasn't about to ruin a friendship by jumping right into her personal space as a cowgirl. After thanking her he turned to find where Applejack had gone to. She waved to him from a table near the door. He briskly crossed the room and sat down in the opposite chair.

Applejack smiled. "Took y'all long enough."

"If y'all weren' so darn picky, Ah woulda been back a whahl ago."

Somewhat impressed with his comeback, she quickly asked, "What did y'all get me?"

"Apple spahce cake."

Applejack's jaw almost hit the table. "How'd y'all know mah favorite cake!?"

Thorny glanced at Mrs. Cake, "Uh, lucky guess…"

Applejack forgot Thorny as she hurriedly devoured her favorite treat. She usually showed a little restraint around new ponies, but she couldn't help the fact that it had been a long time since she had last eaten the cake.

Thorny watched her with admiration. From how fast she was eating, Thorny guessed she could easily out eat anypony at an eating contest. _I wonder if she could beat me…_ He shrugged and figured he would have to invite her to an eating contest some time. She was too far along for him to race her to the last crumb, so he ate at his original speed. He was glad he got cherry; the taste was so strong he almost fell out of his chair. He took bite after bite slowly, hopefully to preserve the flavor.

"Y'all sure are takin' yer sweet tahm."

Thorny smiled. "Would y'all rather me eat it in one baht lahk a pig?"

"If it'll make y'all eat faster."

Applejack watched Thorny take bigger bites out of the cake. In the hour that she had known him, she knew he was a good pony. And not just because he bought her a slice of cake. He was a hard worker, and that was enough to put anypony on her good side.

"About what tahm, do y'all usually get back t' work", Thorny asked through a mouthful of cake.

"When it cools down", Applejack replied. "Ah don' know 'bout you, but Ah'm not havin' a heat stroke just to get apples from the trees. Ah learned mah lesson one that one."

"So that's a couple of hours without nothin' t' do", he stated obviously.

"Ah'm takin' you 'round Ponyville so you won't get lost."

"Ah know, but what about after that?" He wiped his icing-stained mouth with his hoof and burped.

"We'll see 'bout that when it gets here." Applejack stood up. "C'mon, Ah'll give you the grand tour of Ponyville!"

"Sounds nahce." They both rose from the table and headed out into the bright day. Thorny followed Applejack through the streets. It had gotten crowded, and was beginning to look like the streets back in Trotledge.

"This here's the market", Applejack said as they passed by a few stands.

Thorny noticed that this was where everything food-wise was sold. That was great, he wouldn't have to grow his food like back home. "Ah gotta stop bah pretty soon. Food's getting' low."

Applejack walked on and named the buildings they walked by and the ponies that owned them. He kept a mental note of the ones he wanted to browse later. The space between them got smaller as Thorny got more comfortable with Applejack. She noticed instantly, but didn't say anything. So long as he didn't try anything, Ponyville General wouldn't be admitting a patient overnight. She didn't really expect him to, but there was that awkward doubt in her head.

Thorny couldn't help but find the tour boring. He was a pony of fun and work. The thought of his favorite past time brought a hopeful smile to his face. "There a river 'round here somewheres?"

Applejack hesitated. "Uh…yeah, whah?

"'Cuz I love t' swim! And this heat's killin' me!"

"Hey, we got tahm", Applejack said. She choked on her next words. For a second she wanted to ask him if he wanted to go, but the words got caught in her throat. Instead, she made a small gasping noise. To her relief, Thorny didn't notice.

"Where is it?" Thorny leaned forward a little.

"Uh…" Applejack mumbled uncomfortably, "I-it's down bah…um…"

"C'mon, AJ, just show me!"

She froze up. For some reason her brain was refusing to work. She knew what she wanted to say; the words just didn't want to come out. Thankfully, a random savior came to her rescue.

"Did I overhear you asking about a trip to the river?" asked a turquoise pony.

They both turned to see a colt peering at them curiously. "It's down the hill on the southern edge of Ponyville. Applejack should know that. She goes almost every day." He didn't have time to hear a reply from them. His companion was a little impatient.

"Wish, we're going to be late! Let's go!" Lyra called from somewhere ahead of them.

"Coming!" He jogged to catch up to them without waiting for a single word from the farm ponies.

Thorny glanced at Applejack. "South hill? C'mon, Ah'll race ya!" He galloped away, leaving a trail of dust chasing his hooves.

Applejack shot after him. She knew she wasn't going to let a new pony show her up. Her hooves pounded the path with a rhythmic beat. A playful smile formed under her nose. She wasn't even running her fastest and was steadily gaining on the green stallion. She kept going until they were even in pace and were neck and neck with each other. They raced passed ponies and dodged obstacles as they got farther away from the center of town. Many of the ponies didn't even see them. Pretty soon, the buildings gave way to the empty outskirts and they were now climbing the hill that hid the river.

"Applejack are you even trahin'?" Thorny chuckled.

"Nope, an' Ah guess y'all ain't either."

He shook his head. "Ah don't even need to!"

Applejack stopped on the top of the hill. He came to a stop too. Glaring at him, she asked, "Now whatch y'all trahin' t' say?"

Thorny knew he must've touched a nerve, so he decided to have a little fun with her. He grinned. "Cuz Ah could whoop ya with mah ahs closed."

Now furious, Applejack stood on the tips of her hooves to match his height. "Now listen here! Jus' cuz y'all come from a different town don' mean y'all can beat me in a race!"

Thorny gazed down to the river, where thirty ponies were swimming and splashing. He spotted a rope swing situated in a tree on a high bluff above the water. "Y'all wanna fahnd out?"

Applejack growled. She turned and, to throw him off, began to walk down the hill.

Thorny blinked. "Hey, Ah didn' mean t—"

Applejack took off in a full sprint down the hill. She successfully caught him off guard. Sure she had cheated a little, but she could bet the look on his face was priceless. She laughed to herself as she got closer to the river. She looked behind her, expecting to see Thorny staring at her in disbelief. To her surprise, he was right behind her, mere inches from her tail. She jumped and ran faster. Unfortunately, she didn't see the rock that had come to be in front of her hoof and she hit it with full force. Unable to stop herself, the mare could only be subjected to gravity, as it pulled her down the hill toward the water. She tumbled down until she bounced off the bluff and into the water.

Upon impact, everything hurt. She was glad the water wasn't deep. If it were shallow, it would've hurt a whole lot more. It didn't take her long to recover, but it when she did, she realized she was already being drug out of the river. She was only pulled for several seconds before Thorny had her on shore, both gasping for oxygen.

"Dang, Ah'm gettin' outta shape", Thorny weaved. "Ah woulda had y'all sooner, but mah lasso's packed up in mah room back home."

Applejack didn't say anything. Her brain was still trying to process what had just happened. She ignored the stares of the many ponies around them as the emotions began to seep in. Shock, embarrassment, anger, and gratefulness all set in at once. She looked at the ground.

"Y'all alraht?"

She nodded. She didn't know what to say exactly, but she knew being polite would be appropriate. "Ah didn' need y'all's help, but thanks anyways."

"Ah wasn' riskin' y'all bumpin' yer head an' not bein' able t' swim back up." He stood up and shook off. "If there's one thing Ah won' let happen, it's mah friens getting' hurt."

Applejack looked up to see Thorny offering her his hoof. A little anger came back as her burning for independence began to blaze. "Ah can stand bah mahself, thanks." She attempted to stand, but her left hoof exploded with pain. She yelp with pain.

Thorny grabbed her hoof. After years of ranching, he knew exactly what was wrong. "Y'all sprained it on that rock. C'mon, Ah'll help y'all get back home. Sorry fer racin' y'all."

Applejack snatched her hoof back. "Ah can get back jus' fahn!"

"Okay", Thorny replied smugly, "Go ahead an' trah."

Back on her three good hooves, Applejack once again attempted put pressure on her hurt hoof. "Ah!" The swelling made it impossible to put even the tiniest amount of weight on it. She tried two more times before Thorny took her foreleg and placed it around his shoulder. "Ah told y'all Ah can—"

"Hush an' walk", Thorny instructed sternly.

The orange mare's face was alight with red from the embarrassment of being rescued AND hushed by a stallion. In her mind, she could have easily gotten up by herself. She had never once been in trouble she couldn't get out of, and now she was sure everypony was whispering about her. She could only keep her head low to protect what little pride she had left as Thorny guided her back home.

"Applejack, I think you're being unreasonable", said Twilight after hearing Applejack's tale of the events of her day.

"Unreasonable? Twi, the colt—"

"Was nothing but nice to you the whole day", the unicorn finished. "Sure he teased you a little, but isn't that what friends do?"

Applejack mumbled something that twilight couldn't hear. She rubbed the hoof that Thorny had bandaged up. "Yeah, but thanks to him, Ah can't work for at least a week."

"That wasn't exactly his fault, and I'm sure he feels bad about it. Didn't he apologize?"

Applejack nodded.

"Have you forgiven him?"

She shook her head. "It wasn' all his fault. Ah'm the one that ran off. Ah gotta apologize too…"

Twilight frowned. Applejack was apparently having mixed feelings about this new colt. Her instinct was to help her friend out, but that would be impossible with Applejack's independence and pride as a capable mare. She sighed and stretched before hopping down from her chair. "Want something to drink?"

"No thanks, Twilight." Applejack turned her gaze to Thorny's first aid work. The two splints he wrapped in the bandage doubled as a type of crutch that put pressure on her upper foreleg and shoulder instead of her sprained hoof. He sure was talented from what she saw from the day's events. She wished she was working out in the orchard right now, instead of letting Thorny and Big Macintosh work it while she recovered. Every time she got hurt or sick and couldn't work, she always felt like a useless burden. This time, she also felt jealous of Thorny. He got to work hard bucking apples while she was busy healing from her injury in the library.

She sighed heavily. So far, the new farmhoof was nothing but trouble. At least that's what her head was saying. Her heart, however, just wouldn't stop putting the images of him caught in the harness and eating his cake at Sugarcube Corner. Before she could stop herself, she gave a small giggle.

**Wow, I am SO sorry for this crazy four day delay. I really don't know what happened. On the bright side, I'm really getting into this story now, and I've finally developed the, as I call it, romance blocker plot. Which is Applejack's feelings versus her independence.**

**Update in twelve days and at the normal intervals. See you all in two days with an update for The Magic of Dreams!**


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